Benedick's Realization: How Comedy Can Differ

     This blog will be covering the different approaches taken by artists in their interpretations of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Specifically, it will delve into a scene comparison analyzing the differences between Joss Whedon's 2012 movie and the 2019 play, Shakespeare in the Park, directed by Kenny Leon. The scene in question is Benedick's eavesdropping, wherein he learns of Beatrice's supposed secret love for him, which takes place in Act I, Scene II of the play. 

Benedick and Beatrice:

The two depictions of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing have differing portrayals of the romantic leads, Benedick and Beatrice. In Joss Whedon's 2012 film, Benedick is shown to be a more insecure, vulnerable man beneath the surface. During his time alone, we frequently see him worriedly pondering the happenings of the play around him. We see this very clearly in the eavesdropping scene, wherein he looks thoroughly concerned and excited to be hearing this information. Outwardly, he shows confidence, but this adaptation shows a deeper side of him that makes that confidence and banter with Beatrice feel like more of a shell. As for Beatrice, Whedon's portrayal of her is one of an independent, witty, and emotionally guarded woman with interest in Benedick. This creates a more traditional romantic-comedy feeling relationship between the two that tends to have more romantic tension in their interactions.

1:30:37 in Kenny Leon's Shakespeare in the Park

Oppositely, in Kenny Leon's 2019 play, Benedick is stylized as a more conventional romantic lead. He does not just seem confident; he is indeed confident, and his character reflects that in his body language and lack of concern and vulnerability that we see in Joss Whedon's film. This creates a nice contrast to Beatrice's character, who is portrayed more unconventionally. She is portrayed as having much more genuine anger and rebellion within her. One such scene that really nails this personality home for the audience is her reaction after Claudio's outburst. She exclaims, "O god, that were I a man!" (4.2.320). Much of her character's portrayal revolves around her awareness and fight back against gendered power differentials. This goes on to later affect their relationship by seriously changing the depth and charge of when she orders Benedick to challenge Claudio. 

A Key Difference in Sound:

0:43:38 in Kenny Leon's Shakespeare in the Park

In Kenny Leon's Shakespeare in the Park, we are shown a comedic, musical scene wherein Prince, Claudio, Leonato, and Balthasar all sing and converse about Beatrice's secret love whilst Benedick hides and listens happily. Their song is a far cry from the original lyrics written in the play, instead being portrayed as a much longer winded song that sees the whole group join together in unison to sing. In the original play, though the comedy is certainly present, it is not taken to such extremes and the scene is not quite as stereotypically "musical" as the 2019 play shows. This take on the scene fits the more outlandish, comedic, and dramatic tone of the entire play. 

0:39:04 in Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing

In almost entirely the opposite direction, Joss Whedon's 2012 film interprets the scene almost completely devoid of music. As Prince, Claudio, Leonato, and Balthasar enter the room wherein the conversation is to be held, they merely turn on a speaker and begin playing some background music to enjoy while they speak. There is no singing or theatrics on behalf of any of the gentlemen involved, and they instead almost immediately leap into the conversation, skipping much of the dialogue revolving around the song. Despite this, the scene is indeed played in a thoroughly comedic manner.

How the Comedy Differs:

Kenny Leon's Shakespeare in the Park is meant to play further off of the music added in the original text, a short song sung by Balthasar beginning at 2:3:64 and ending at 2:3:79. This creates a far more outlandish scene that plays out like a musical, with everyone joining in song, which fits the interpretation well. The entire take on Much Ado About Nothing is made for the stage and dramatics, with creative liberties being taken throughout to more closely match that tone. 

Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing is meant for something entirely different: cinema. The film is carefully shot with proper cinematography rather than being performed on one stage in front of an audience, changing how the comedy will be perceived by its audience. As such, throughout the interpretation, Joss Whedon makes small changes from the original text in order to better fit the chosen medium. He opts instead for more physical comedy, having Benedick poorly hide behind a small broken branch and rolls from window to window in pursuit of those holding a conversation. 

The Dialogue:

One interesting difference between these adaptations that is very apparent in the aforementioned scene is the dialogue. 

In Shakespeare in the Park, much of the dialogue throughout the scene is changed in some manner to more closely reflect how the characters within the play would speak during the time frame it takes place. Words are dropped or slightly changed, and the intonation also vastly differs from its Joss Whedon counterpart. One such example is when Balthasar exits after his song, and Prince exclaims, "Leonato!" (0:44:21). It fits a more modern attempt at catching someone's attention, whereas the original play is written to say, "Come hither, Leonato." (2.3.95). A small change, but one that is seen across many similar cases throughout the scene and play. This looser, more adapted to present-day language interpretation is befitting of the play's setting and characters, and works well for its comedy.

In Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing, such changes are much fewer and far between. Though both interpretations drop some lines, the actual spoken dialogue of the film is a near perfect match to what is written in the original play. The intent behind this was to provide contrast to the more cinematic visuals and physical comedy shown within the film, allowing for the standard elements of comedy found within film and movies to be shown without altering Shakespeare's original words. The intonation throughout much of the film is also far more casual and less played up for the crowd. Many of the characters' interactions are portrayed to be more "believable" than its stage production counterpart, which intentionally relies on suspended disbelief from the crowd to portray a more dramatic telling of events. You can see and hear the difference in the scene shown below:

Conclusion

The different depictions of the two characters and their relationships reshape and reveal the end goal of either production. Whedon's interpretation shows a more cinematic rom-com-esque telling of events while remaining faithful to the original dialogue, whilst Leon's stage production has subliminal political and social messaging shown in the characters' portrayals. 

Works Cited

"Much Ado About Nothing." Directed by Joss Whedon, Lionsgate, 2012. 

"Much Ado About Nothing." Directed by Kenny Leon, Great Performances, 2019.

Shakespeare, William, et al. Much Ado about Nothing. Folger Shakespeare Library ed., Washington Square Press, 2002.